Public and/or proprietary networks carry more and more traffic using network devices that process the traffic at ever increasing bandwidths, data rates, processing speeds, etc. To achieve these bandwidths, data rates, processing speeds, etc., network devices have been equipped with more complex and/or a greater quantity of high performance components, such as higher speed processors, higher capacity switches, faster memories, and/or other components that have improved the performance of the network devices over earlier versions of the network devices.
The high performance components often generate more heat than the components that the high performance components replace. Heat, that is generated by the components, may be transferred to and/or dissipated by heat dissipation devices (e.g., heat sinks, vapor chambers, etc.). Some of the components may be associated with modules (e.g., a C-form-factor pluggable (CFP) optical transceiver, a small form-factor pluggable (SFP) optical transceiver, etc.) that can be installed in and/or removed from network devices. The modules may be installed by being inserted and/or slid into ports associated with the network device.
The ports may include heat dissipation devices that make contact with the components, when the module is installed, that allows the heat to be transferred to the heat dissipation devices. The heat dissipation devices may include a material (e.g., such as a plastic coating or a plastic film) that reduces friction between the components and the heat dissipation devices. The material that reduces the friction may act as an insulator, which reduces a quantity of heat that is transferred between the components and the heat dissipation devices. The material that reduces the friction may also disintegrate over a period of time due to thermal stress, repeated installation and/or de-installation of the module, which may cause an amount of friction, between the components and the heat dissipation devices, to increase. The increased friction may increase an amount of force required to install or remove the module.
The heat dissipation devices may include a thermally conductive material (e.g., such as copper, aluminum, etc.) that allows the heat to be transferred between the components and the heat dissipation devices. The repeated installation and/or de-installation of the modules, and/or contaminants (e.g., dust, metal shavings, etc.) on the components and/or on the thermally conductive material, may cause a surface, associated with the thermally conductive material, to become damaged. The damaged surface may occur as a result of the thermally conductive material becoming galled, grooved, pitted, etc., which may cause an amount of friction, between the components and the heat dissipation devices, to increase. The increased friction may increase an amount of force required to install or remove the module. The damaged thermally conductive material may also reduce an amount of heat that is transferred from the components to the heat dissipation devices.